


Time to Walk Away

by Delightful_I_Am



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hopeful Ending, M/M, POV Sheriff Stilinski, Sad with a Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-02
Updated: 2017-02-02
Packaged: 2018-09-21 14:26:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9552761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Delightful_I_Am/pseuds/Delightful_I_Am
Summary: "I miss you." It was a whisper of a breath and Stiles' voice broke in the middle.Noah was still standing in the hallway, still reeling from the agony in his son's voice, when the bathroom door opened and Stiles was stood blinking at him."Dad." Stiles' voice was rough and Noah felt his own throat tighten in response to Stiles' pain. "What are you doing out here?"





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is what happens when you write instead of going to sleep. Please treat me kindly, I'm feeling a little dizzy from the lack of sleep, but dammit, this is worth it!

The Sheriff was surprised to see Stiles' jeep in the driveway when he pulled in after a late shift; more often than not, both Stiles and car were gone, running around after the latest supernatural threat to Beacon Hills. There were no lights on in the house, so he assumed Stiles was getting some much needed sleep. He could hope, at least. Sighing, he turned off the engine and dragged his tired body out of the cruiser, thinking wistfully of his own bed. As he let himself into the house, he could hear the faint sounds of the shower running upstairs and he paused to let out a harsh breath and drag a hand down his face. So much for Stiles getting a good night's sleep for once. Ever since the nogitsune and then the clusterfuck that was the chimera pack and the dread doctors, not to mention the ghost riders and everyone  _forgetting_ about  _Stiles_ of all people, the kid had thrown himself into every new fight with reckless abandon; it was worrying and downright scary at times, how little Stiles seemed to care for his own safety.

Noah eyed the liquor cabinet for a too-long moment, hands halfway toward removing his gun holster. A small thud from upstairs shook him out of his daze, and with a last look at the dining room, he unclasped his gun holster and hung it up next to his jacket. The thought of having to drag himself up the stairs nearly had him considering sleeping on the couch, but however simple a fix that was for the current issue of his exhaustion, he knew sleeping anywhere other than his bed would result in agony in the morning. He kicked his boots off and trudged up the stairs, keeping an ear out for any more movement from the bathroom, but the only noise now was the gentle sound of the shower.

He hovered in the hallway for a minute, debating whether to wait for Stiles to finish up, or just head to bed and talk to him in the morning. A quick look at his phone told him it was nearing 4am, and he was about to turn away when he heard the soft cadence of his son's voice over the steady sound of falling water.

"Yeah yeah, I get it dude."

Stiles sounded exasperated, like whatever he was replying to was an old argument and he was just going through the motions. Noah huffed a laugh; it was probably Scott.

"No, come on man don-" Stiles cut off with a groan. "It's not like I do it on purpose, you know?"

A pause as he waits for a response.

"Well how was I supposed to know that looking it in the eye was an insult?"

The Sheriff pinched the bridge of his nose as he listened to his son, what on earth had he been up to now?

"Aw man, don't be like that, I'm fine! The thing barely got me. Hardly even a scratch."

There was a long pause while Stiles presumably waited for Scott to get his concerns out, and when Stiles spoke again his voice was softer than before.

"I know. I'm not gonna lie, I was scared for a minute there, but hey the pack has my back right?" Noah's breath caught when he heard the muted fear in his son's voice, and he slumped against the wall when his legs threatened to buckle.

"Hey no, come on, we moved past all that." Another short pause. "No they don't... things aren't like that anymore. Scott's forgiven me for that."

Noah looked up sharply at the mention of Scott; if Stiles wasn't talking to him, just who was he talking to? And what had Scott forgiven him for? Surely Stiles wasn't talking about Donovan? There was nothing to forgive; Stiles had protected himself against a creature that was threatening to  _kill_ him and his father. Evidently, whoever Stiles was talking to had a similar view of things, going by what Stiles was saying when Noah found he could focus again.

"What do you want me to say? I  _killed_ someone! And yeah, it might have been self defence, and it might have been over a year ago, but I still took someone's life!"

Another long pause, and Noah could hear the harsh sound of Stiles breathing.

"Yeah I suppose you _would_ know all about tha-" Stiles cut off abruptly with a sharp intake of breath. "I'm sorry, that was... way to be a douche Stiles."

Noah squeezed his eyes shut and tipped his head back against the wall. Stiles sounded so  _defeated._ He would give anything to be able to bring back the innocent kid from all those years ago; the kid whose idea of adventure was dragging his asthmatic best friend out into the woods at night because there was a dead body and he thought it would be cool. Back when dead bodies were a novelty and not the norm. Stiles was speaking again, voice quieter and raw.

"...Just don't know what to do anymore. I think I... I think I need to get out of here. Get out of this town. But how can I leave everyone behind?" Stiles' voice was so quiet, that had the shower still been running - which, when did that happen? - Noah certainly wouldn't have heard it. "I can't just leave the pack behind to deal with everything this hellhole throws at them. And I can't... How am I supposed to leave my dad?"

This is almost too much for the Sheriff to handle; is Stiles really holding himself back from being happy because of him? Holding himself back from being  _free?_ He'd heard enough for one night. Pushing himself up from where he'd been slumped against the wall, he bit back a groan when his knees protested the movement. He was just walking past the bathroom door when he heard one last thing that near broke his heart all over again.

"I miss you." It was a whisper of a breath and Stiles' voice broke in the middle.

Noah was still standing in the hallway, still reeling from the agony in his son's voice, when the bathroom door opened and Stiles was stood blinking at him.

"Dad." Stiles' voice was rough and Noah felt his own throat tighten in response to Stiles' pain. "What are you doing out here?"

Noah stared at him for a long while, not saying anything. After a tense beat, he surged forward and wrapped his arms around Stiles, squeezing him tight. Stiles made a surprised noise and stiffened for a moment before his entire body just deflated and he hugged back just as fiercely. They stood like that for several minutes before Noah pulled back to look at Stiles' face.

"I love you kid, you know that?" Stiles blinked rapidly, swallowing thickly before he responded.

"Yeah dad. I love you too."

"You can always do whatever you want to do."

"Dad, what-"

"You do what you need to do to be happy, alright son?" His hands gripped Stiles shoulders tight, "If that means you gotta take a year off from college, or if it means you need to get away for a while, you do it, you hear me?"

"No, I can't just leave you..."

"Yes you can. You're the most important thing to me, and I just want you healthy and happy, and kid? You aren't either of those things if you're stuck here." Noah pulled him back into a crushing hug. "I love you. No matter what. And I am so proud of you."

"Dad..."

"Your mum would be so proud of you too."

Stiles was clinging to him now, and he was pretty sure they were both crying.

"Now go on and get some sleep. It's late." Noah patted Stiles' back and pulled away, giving him a gentle push towards his room.

Stiles stopped in his doorway and looked back at his father with wide eyes; they stared at each other for several long seconds before Noah moved to his own room. Stiles was still watching him with disbelief evident when he closed his door. Once alone in his room, Noah sank down onto his bed and dropped his head into his hands, taking a shuddering breath before curling up still in his uniform, and falling asleep.

 

***

 

When the Sheriff woke to a quiet house the next morning, he wasn't at all surprised, but he couldn't stop the pang that went through his chest. He wandered through the house slowly, taking in all the little signs that meant Stiles was really gone; his toothbrush had disappeared from the bathroom; his shoes had gone from the closet downstairs; his duffel bag was missing from his room; even the baseball bat was gone. Noah shook his head at that. Of course Stiles wouldn't leave that damned bat behind. It wasn't until he went to the kitchen to make some coffee that he noticed a letter stuck to the fridge.

 

 

> _Hey Pops,_
> 
> _Sorry I left before you woke up, but... well... I figured you'd get it. I left my phone behind, it was just easier, you know? I'll buy a new phone_
> 
> _when_ _I get to wherever I'm going, I guess. But don't worry! I'll give you a call in a day or two, let you know I'm doing okay. I'm, uh... I'm not_
> 
> _going alone._ _And I know, you being the amazing sheriff you are, you've probably figured out who I'm with. Apparently he's as stubborn as_
> 
> _you, and figured I_ _needed to get away for a while too. Don't know why I'm surprised, really. I left the jeep behind, take care of her for me._
> 
> _Don't let Scotty drive her!_ _He always forgets she grinds in second. I'm sorry to do this, but, could you let Scotty and the rest of the pack_
> 
> _know what's going on? Let them_ _know I'm okay, and that I'll call them when I can sort my head out a bit. ~~I just~~ I ~~want to~~ I love you old man, _
> 
> _you know that? You're the best dad I e_ _ver could have asked for, and I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me. You said_
> 
> _mum would be proud of me, and I really_ _hope that's true, but I reckon she'd be pretty ~~fucking~~ darn proud of you too._
> 
>  
> 
> _I gotta go, someone's getting all growly and impatient- ~~Yeah yeah sourwolf hang on!~~ Oh for the love of... now look what you did, I'm writing _
> 
> _what_ _I'm saying to you!-_

 

 

Noah started laughing at that and had to stop reading so he could wipe a hand across his eyes; apparently he'd started crying at some point.

 

 

 

> _-I swear you're going to be a very dead wolf by the time I'm done wit-_
> 
> **_Come on Stiles, don't turn a letter to your father into a fight with me_ **
> 
> _Really? This is what we're doing? This is how today is going to go?_
> 
> **_Yes._ **
> 
> _Dad I changed my mind, I'm not going anywhere with this infuriating furball_
> 
> **_Don't make me rip your throat out-_ **
> 
> _with your teeth, yeah yeah dude, that threat stopped being scary around the time I had to hold your furry ass up in a pool for a few hours_
> 
> **_Don't call me dude._ **
> 
> _Oh my god, dad, can you feel the eyebrows of judgement? Because I can tell you they are out in force! Dude, do I need to remind you about_
> 
> _the time you_ _tried to get me to saw off your arm because you were stupid enough to get shot?_
> 
> **_I don't think we need to go into that..._ **
> 
> _ANYWAY... We gotta go pops. Gotta beat that insane BH traffic, you know? Look after yourself, please!. And don't even think about slacking_
> 
> _off on your diet just because I'm gone... I WILL KNOW IF YOU EAT JUNK_
> 
> **_Yeah because you'll get Melissa to spy on him._ **
> 
> _Don't underestimate the power of mama McCall, Derek, she is a force to be reckoned with._
> 
> _Love ya pops! talk to you soon!_

 

Noah had to sit down when he reached the end of the letter. He tried to swallow past the lump in his throat, but it was difficult. He skimmed over the letter again, chuckling at his son; couldn't even be serious saying goodbye. He'd thought the person Stiles had been talking to might have been Derek, and he was resolutely  _not_ thinking about how that ever happened. He was just sitting at the kitchen table staring at the paper in his hands, and it took longer than it should have to notice a small postscript at the very bottom of the page. As he read it, he felt a smile break over his face. His kid was going to be just fine.

 

 

 

> _**I'll look after him sir.** _

**Author's Note:**

> This is a little different from anything I've done before, and I really hope y'all like it.  
> Title is from _Let it Go_ by James Bay  
>  Comments and kudos give me life <3


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